Anabel Bleckley Donaldson died at Newton Medical Center on November 19, 2013. She was born in Clayton, Georgia in 1924. Anabel was the daughter of the late Leon and Irene Bleckley of Clayton, Georgia. Anabel is survived by her brother Dr. James Bleckley of Anderson, South Carolina, her daughter Anna Donaldson of Oldsmar, Florida, her son Robert Bickford of Dallas, Texas, and her daughter Candace Wagner of Covington, Georgia.  Anabel attended Rabun County High School where she graduated as valedictorian of her class. A life-long sports fan, Anabel was center forward for the Rabun County High School girls’ basketball team that won first in district two times in Georgia and received recognition in Sports Illustrated magazine. She was a 1945 graduate of Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, and received her master’s degree from USF, Tampa, Florida.  Anabel taught for 12 years in Clayton, Georgia where she was named Teacher of the Year in 1956. She taught English, Speech, and Drama and directed several plays for the Georgia One-Act play competition and led her casts to win many awards. She was a former member of the Eastern Star and the Georgia Association of Speech teachers. She moved to Dunedin Florida in 1961 and taught English, Drama, and Journalism at Tarpon Springs High School where many of her honors students became Merit scholars and went on to excel at such universities as Harvard, Yale, Duke, Stanford, Florida State, and the University of Florida. After she became the sponsor of the Tarpon Springs High School newspaper, The Splash, named for the diving of sponges for which Tarpon Springs is famous, the Clearwater Sun named The Splash the most improved school paper in Pinellas County.

Anabel returned to Georgia in 2002, and spent her remaining days with her daughter Candace and son-in-law Michael Wagner in Covington, Georgia. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, November 24, 2013 at the Chapel of J.C. Harwell and Son Funeral Home.  The family will receive friends from 12:00 noon until 1:00p.m. on Sunday prior to the service.  J.C. Harwell & Son Funeral Home and Cremation Chapel, 2157 East Street S.E., Covington, GA 30014 is in charge of arrangements. A guest book may be signed on-line at www.harwellfuneralhome.com